Distribution panel board



March 2, 1937. w. H. FRANK DISTRIBUTION PANEL BOARD THREE- POLE Original Filed Aug. 24, 1933 INVENTOR.

: ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 2, 1937 DISTRIBUTION PANEL BOARD William H. Frank, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Bulldog Electric Products Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of West Virginia Original application August 24, 1933, Serial No.

686,487. Divided and this application February 2, 1935, Serial No. 4,621

9 Claims.

This application relates to distribution panel boards and more particularly to novel circuit indicating arrangements for panel boards and is a division of application Serial No. 686,487, filed August 24, 1933.

I A distribution panel board of the type under consideration includes a panel built up of circuit protective or control devices or the like, in front of which is a masking plate provided with apertures through which the devices are exposed for manipulation. The devices of different panels are of uniform width but may be of different lengths, but all these lengths are integral multiples of a factor length for purposes of standardization.

By the present invention it is proposed to provide the masking plate with windows through which are exposed suitable markings indicating the circuits corresponding to the devices, the markings being on a card disposed in back of the masking plate. It is proposed that the window spacing of all masking plates and the card maskings be standard, regardless of the lengths of the devices, so that they may be utilized without alteration, regardless of the lengths of the devices. A standard masking plate and a standard card may be used on a panel, whether the devices be of single length, double length, or treble length, the position of the card being varied as conditions require to provide different circuit indications. This will facilitate standardization of the manufacture of the masking plates and of the strips, as well as facilitating the assembly of panels, plates, and strips to form panelboards.

For an understanding of the inventions of this application, reference should be had to the appended drawing showing an embodiment of these inventions. In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a panel made up of double pole circuit breakers and provided with a masking plate in front of the panel, behind which masking plate is a card strip whose markings are exposed through windows of the masking plate;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 1, showing the relation of the masking plate and a card strip;

Fig. 3 shows a fragment of a standard card strip;

Fig. 4 shows the relation of the card strip and A '55 parts arranged for use with panels made up of the masking plate windows when the parts are double-pole devices and three-pole devices respectively.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, it will be seen that in Fig. 1 there is shown behind a masking 5 plate 40 a panel made up of a number of devices which happen to be in the nature of circuit breakers. The masking plate has large apertures 4| exposing fronts 42 of the breakers and through which the handles 43 thereof may be manipulated, and, in addition, windows 63 through which are exposed markings on a card in the form of a strip 64, which markings indicate the circuits corresponding to the breakers. For example, referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that for each breaker there is a number and an arrow, and this is so because the breakers happen to be double pole breakers. The first pair of breakers control circuits [-2 and the exposed numbers I-2 and the arrows immediately below 0 the exposed numbers [-2 point out that the breakers near those numbers and arrows control circuits l--2.

Now, inasmuch as an assortment of panels will have various arrangements of breakers, single pole breakers of X length, double pole breakers of 2X length, and three-pole breakers of 3 X length, it has heretofore not been considered possible to standardize the masking plates and the circuit indicating cards and it has heretofore been the practice to use individual plates and individually numbered cards for individual cases. However, there is here disclosed a scheme where by the masking plates 40 and the indicating cards are standardized so that regardless of with what 35 type of panel arrangement a particular masking plate and a particular card may be used, the masking plate and the card need not be altered.

The masking plate windows 63 are uniformly spaced on distances x, and are for ,use with panels whose devices are integral multiples of that distance X. Behind the row of 1 windows is disposed the card strip 64 and the indicia thereon are arranged as shown, so that the card need merely be cut to length, if overlength, and at the proper portions, in order to fit the particular panel-board with which it is to be used, and need not be cut in small individually marked pieces.

The card may be secured to the masking plate in any desired manner. For example, the mask- I ing plate may have uniformly spaced holes through which are passed conventional round head paper fasteners, the prongs of these passing through the card and being bent over to secure the card properly.

For a window spacing X, corresponding to panels whose devices are of X, 2X, or 3X lengths, the cards will be printed substantially as shown, with the printing spacings being at distances equal to X/3 or 1/3 of the spacing between the windows, it being observed that the fraction is the inverse of the largest number of poles in contemplation.

The cards 64 are printed in strips and on both sides, and either side may be used as the case may require. Furthermore, the printing is such that the reverse face of one strip may be used as a continuation of the obverse face of the other, in the event that the panel is too long for one strip.

In the commercial embodiment, the card printings read as follows: on one side, (1) 1-2, (2) l-2, (3) arrows down, (4) 3-4, (5) arrows up, (6) 1-2, (7) 5-6, (8) 3-4, (9) arrows up, (10) 7-8, (11) arrows up, (12) arrows down, (13) 9-10, (14) 5-6, (15) 3-4, (16) 11-12, (17) arrows up, (18) arrows up, (19) 13-14, (20) 7-8, (21) arrows down, (22) 15-16, (23) arrows up, (24) 5-6, (25) 17-18, (26) 9-10, (27) arrows up, (28) 19-20, (29) arrows up, (30) arrows down, (31) 21-22, (32) 11-12, (33) 7-8, (34) 23-24; and on the other side, (33) (repeat) 7-8, (34) (repeat) 23-24, (35) arrows up, (36) arrows up, (37) 25-26, (38) 13-14, (39) arrows down, (40) 27-28, (41) arrows up, (42) 9-10, (43) 29-30, (44) 15-16, (45) arrows up, (46) 31-32, (47) arrows up, (48) arrows down, 49) 33-34, (50) 1v 1s, (51) 11-12,

(52) 35-36, (53) arrows up, (54) arrows up, (55) 37-38, (56) 19-20, (57) arrows down, (58) 39-40, (59) arrows up, (60) 13-14, (61) 41-42, (62) 21-22, (63) arrows up, (64) 43-44, (65) arrows up, (66) arrows down, (67) 45-46, (68) 23-24, (69) 15-16.

The strips shown may be used with the three different arrangements contemplated substantially as follows. If the panel is to be made of single pole breakers, the strip is moved to the position of Fig. 4 so that the major markings or numbers on spaces 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58, 61, 64, 67; will be visible through the windows, one number for each breaker, and the minor markings or arrows will be concealed. If the panel is to be made up of double pole breakers the strip is moved up X/3 or 1/3 of a window spacing to the position of Fig. 5, and then at the two windows for a breaker there will be revealed a number (spaces 2, 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50, 56, 62, 68) and an arrow (spaces 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 53, 59, 65) pointing up. See Figs. 1, 2, and 5. If the panel is to be made up of three-pole breakers, the strip is moved up 2X/ 3 or 2/ 3 of a window spacing, and then at the three windows for a breaker there will be revealed a number (spaces 6, 15, 24, 33, 42, 51, 60, 69), an arrow pointing down to it (spaces 3, 12, 21, 30, 39, 48, 57, 66), and an arrow pointing up to it (spaces 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63).

In the event that a single panel includes portions of single-pole breakers, portions of doublepole breakers, and portions of three-pole breakers, etc., the cards or strips may be cut in portions and used accordingly.

Therefore, it can be seen that one window arrangement on a masking plate can be utilized as a standard window arrangement, regardless of the possible or probable make-up of the panel,

and that a single card strip may be furnished which can be utilized with a panel as a circuit indicating means regardless of what type of breaker is used in the panel.

I claim:

1. In combination, panel portions built up of devices having uniform lengths equal to integral multiples of a factor X, masking plate portions thereover and each having a row of windows uniformly spaced on X distances, and strip por tions in back of the plate portions and having. major and minor reference markings for referring to the devices positioned adjacent the Windows through which the markings may be exposed, the

strip portion markings being uniformly spaced at distances equal to X VAX where AX is equal to the length of the longest device intended to be used with the panel portions, the strip portions, when in different factorially spaced positions with respect to the plate portions, showing different arrangements of the markings at the windows.

2. In combination, a panel portion built up of devices of X length, a panel portion built up of devices of 2X length, and a panel portion built up of devices of 3X length, masking plates thereover having identical window arrangements, with the windows being uniformly spaced on X distances, and identically marked indicating strips having markings exposed through the masking plate windows, the markings being ma jor and minor and spaced on X/3 distances.

3. In combination, a panel portion built up of devices of X length, a panel portion built up of devices of 2X length, and a panel portion built up of devices of 3X length, masking plates thereover having identical window arrangements, with the windows being uniformly spaced on X distances, and identically marked indicating strips having markings exposed through the masking plate windows, the markings being major and minor and spaced on X/3 distances, a major marking being shown at each window in the X panel portion, a major marking being shown at one-half the windows of the 2X panel portion and a minor marking being shown at the other half of the windows of the 2X panel portion, a major marking being shown at one-third of the windows of the 3X panel portion, a minor marking being shown at another third of the windows of the 3X panel portion, and another minor marking being shown at the third third of the windows of the 3X panel portions.

4. In combination, a panel portion built up of devices of X length, a panel portion built up of devices of 2X length, and a panel portion built up of devices of 3X length, masking plates thereover having identical window arrangements, with the windows being uniformly spaced on X distances, and identically marked indicating strips having markings exposed through the masking plate windows, the markings being major and minor and spaced on X/3 distances, a major marking being shown at each window in the X panel portion, a major marking being shown at one-half the windows of the 2X panel portion and a minor marking being shown at the other half of the windows of the 2X panel portion, a major marking being shown at one-third of the windows of the 3X panel portion, a minor marking being shown at another third of the windows of the 3X panel portion, and another minor being shown at the third third of the windows of the 3X panel portions, with the major marking being between the minor markings in the case of the 3X panel portion.

5. In combination, panel portions built of devices having uniform lengths equal to integral multiples of a factor X, masking plates having a row of windows uniformly spaced on X distances, and strip portions having major and minor reference markings for referring to the devices positioned adjacent the windows through which the markings may be exposed, the strip portion markings being uniformly spaced at distances equal to X /AX where AX is equal to the length of the longest device intended to be used with the panel portions, the strip portions, when in different factorially spaced positions with respect to the plate portions, showing diiferent arrangements of the markings at the windows.

6. In combination, panels having devices of X length, or 2X length, or 3X length, masking plates having standard window arrangements with the windows spaced on X distances, and standard indicating cards printed with series of markings spaced on X/3 distances and arranged with three different markings per series,

r the cards showing through the windows difierent markings corresponding to the relative positions of the cards and the windows.

'7. In combination, panels having devices of "X length, or 2X length, or 3X length, masking plates having standard window arrangements with the windows spaced on X distances, and standard indicating cards printed with series of markings spaced on X/3 distances and arranged with three difierent markings per series, the cards showing through the windows different markings corresponding to the relative positions of the cards and the windows as follows: (a) when the cards are in a basic position, a major marking will be shown at each-window; (b) when the cards are moved from that position X/3 in one direction, a major marking will be shown at half the windows and a minor marking will be shown at the other windows; (0) when the cards are moved from the basic position 2X/3 in one direction or X/3 in the opposite direction, a major marking will be shown at one third of the windows, a minor marking will be shown at a second third of the windows, and a minor marking will be shown at a third third of the windows.

8. In combination, panels having devices of X length, or 2X length, or 3X length, masking plates having standard window arrangements with the windows spaced on X distances, and standard indicating cards printed with series of markings spaced on X/3. distances and arranged with three different markings per series, the cards showing through the windows different markings corresponding to the relative positions of the cards and the windows as follows: (a) when the cards are in a basic position, a major marking will be shown at each window; (b) when the cards are moved from that position X/ 3 in one direction, a major marking will be shown at half, the windows and a minor marking will be shown at the other windows; (c) when the cards are moved from the basic position 2X/3 in one direction or X/3 in the opposite direction, a major marking will be shown at one third of the windows, a minor marking will be shown at a second third of the windows, and a minor marking will be shown at a third third of the windows, with the major markings, in case (a) being between the minor markmgs.

9. In combination, a number of difierent electrical distribution panels made up of interchangeable units of different lengths equal to integral multiples of a factor length, which is the length per pole of each unit, interchangeable single pole and multipole units, masking plates for the panels having identical window spacings, with the windows of each being spaced on distances equal to the factor, and marking strips having one or a plurality of series of markings, with as many different markings per series as there are poles in the largest polarity units with which the strips are used, with the markings of each series being spaced on distances equal to the factor, the strips being adjustably positioned behind the masking plates so that the position of a strip as a whole with respect to the associated panel and the plate thereof will determine the selection of the markings of the different series exposed through the windows and the markings concealed behind the plate.

WILLIAM H. FRANK. 

